'Doing' at Barung - Barung Landcare

IGA CONNECTION Update 

by Mim Coulstock 

Thank you to everyone who has already 

donated money for trees for the IGA 

Connection Treeplant. We have now raised 

$3480 from community donations, and this 

is just the beginning! 

The initial donation forms distributed 

through the Barung Newsletter generated 

a great response from Barung members as 

well as several requests from other groups 

and organisations such as the River School, 

the Maleny Community Centre etc for 

forms to distribute to their own members. 

In October letters were sent to all 

community organisations who have 

benefited from Rob and Sam and the IGA’s 

generosity, and feedback from this has also 

been good. 

During the Universal Providers 100 Year 

celebration we set up camp on Maple 

Street and talked to hundreds of local 

people about the project. Many donated 

BARUNG 

LANDCARE 

NEWS 

December 2005 –January 2006 

on the spot and many others took forms 

home with them. 

If you have not already responded, please 

make sure you send, bring or phone in your 

donations, and encourage your friends to 

do the same. 

Many people have asked when the 

community treeplant for this project will 

occur. Like most on-ground projects, the 

devil is in the detail. At this stage we are 

hoping to be ready for planting by 

September-October 2006. 

We will keep the fund-raising open and are 

talking to other groups such as Lake 

Baroon Catchment Care Group and the 

Burnett Mary Regional Group about 

matching the funds that we raise through 

the local community. 

By doing this, we will have enough money 

to do the job properly. 

Considerable site preparation is required 

– removal/control of broad and smallleaved 

privet, camphor laurel, morning 

glory, turkey rhubarb, mistweed, 

blackberry, and many other environmental 

nasties no doubt. 

There is also the issue of the deep culvert/ 

crevasse where the creek enters the Obi. 

Thanks to Dick Newman we are now 

waiting for a Council engineer to meet us 

on site to work out the best solution. 

We are applying for a Green Corps team 

for this project. If successful, they will 

begin in early May and will assist with site 

works and community liaison, and help 

coordinate the community treeplant. 

So, as you can see it is not just raising the 

money and planting the trees. Hopefully 

all weed and site prep will be done before 

winter, but because this site is in the frost 

zone we will wait until spring for planting. 

Not only will the ‘IGA Connection’ 

provide a lasting thank-you to Rob and 

Samantha and the IGA but it will create an 

essential linkage to help preserve the 

viability of this isolated historic remnant 

in the Maleny Showgrounds, improve the 

quality of the water entering Obi Obi 

Creek, and restore the banks of the creek 

from a weed-infested rubbish heap to a 

beautiful rainforest that will enhance the 

Maleny Showgrounds.

IN THIS ISSUE 

IGA Connection Update ................................1 

From our President, New Members ..................2 

Support for Landcare ..................................3 

Expressions of Interest for FUNDING ................3 

AGM Award Winners ....................................3 

State of the Regional Groups .........................4 

Groundwater Monitoring Project ....................4 

2006 Maleny Wood Expo ...............................5 

2006 Wootha Prize .....................................5 

Sustainable Land-use Project.........................5 

REVEG IN PROGRESS: Changing Balances ...........6 

TRAINEE’S TALE: Green Corps ........................6 

CONTRACTING SERVICES: Bush Regeneration ......7 

BUTTERFLIES OF THE RANGE: Caper white ........8 

WEEDS: Moth vine ......................................8 

Regional Arrangements Coordination ...............9 

New Lake Baroon Catchment Officer ...............9 

Lantana control .........................................9 

ORNAMENTAL GARDEN: Thinning and pruning ... 10 

THE CORNER DESK: ‘Doing’ at Barung ............ 10 

CJP NEWS: Wrap up and Participant’s stories ... 11 

NURSERY NOTES: Seed collecting time ........... 12 

PLANT PROFILE: Silky myrtle ....................... 12 

Rainforest recovery and Coxen’s Fig-parrot ..... 13 

OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS ....................... 13 

Volunteer of the Year AWARD ....................... 14 

Thank you to ..., Letters ............................ 14 

TURKEY TANGENTIAL: Spreading the Seed .. 16, 15 

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS 

(Compiled by Barry Liddell) 

Robyn Allsopp 

Marcus Ringuet 

Gordon Sutherland & 

Nicola Baker 

Harris Tagg 

Alan & Susan Marchant 

Norman & Robin Dobson 

B Harber 

Paul Moore 

Evan Jones 

John Dixon 

Keith Drake 

Patricia Weggert 

Graeme Jennings 

Douglas Robertson 

M Gudmundsson 

Frank & Sally Elmer 

Cliff Hanna 

R Dent & J Morris 

Gary & Vivienne Bochow 

Russell Kleidon 

Maureen Cooper 

WELCOME BACK 

John Crocker 

Jodi Robson 

Brian & Margaret James 

Don & Jacquie McDonald 

Greg Harrison 

Taman Sari 

Olwyn & James Trstenjak 

M Lakic 

Anne Arnett 

Tony & Donna Smith 

Rowena McIntosh 

Matt Sheild 

Campbell Foster 

Sue Lewty & Helen Burnett 

Ralph Freestun 

Leanne Sommer & 

John Robertson 

Gary Scott 

Hanicek Schoenberger 

Rodney Castle 

John Smith 

Alan & Claire Wynn 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LANDCARE SUPPORT 

2 

FROM OUR PRESIDENT 

by Lin Fairlie 

Another successful treeplant was completed as part of the Barung 

AGM in October and our thanks go to all the members and friends 

who took part in the event. About 400 trees were planted. 

Our thanks go to the retiring Management Committee members 

Bridget Sparkes, John Poulson and Trish Brunton and we look 

forward to their further contributions to Barung in other ways. 

Special thanks go to Trish for her four years as treasurer and the 

way she so ably stepped into the admin position during Angie’s 

absence. 

Welcome to new committee members Pat Fuller and Michael 

Howard (as Treasurer). Together they bring much experience and 

enthusiasm and we look forward to working with them. There is 

still an unfilled position on the Management Committee and we 

appeal to any member who is even slightly interested to speak 

with any Management Committee member or with Mim or Darryl 

in the Barung offices for more information. 

The year ahead will be very busy with Expo on 29th & 30th April 

and 1st May 2006. Please write these dates in your diary now as 

the Expo’s success requires extra help in the weeks before as well 

as over the weekend. As you will see elsewhere in this newsletter 

Barung is hoping to host a Fungi workshop in February so that 

members can learn about and become part of the fascinating world 

of macrofungi which occurs in the lower sections of your forest. 

In the New Year there will be community consultation carried out 

by consultants about the future of the Tripcony Hibiscus Caravan 

Park area at the entrance to Caloundra. The leases on this area 

owned by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines run 

out in 2009. I am on the Consultative Committee representing the 

environment and residents of Caloundra City Council so if you 

would like further information about this very important site which 

fronts Pumicestone Passage, the international RAMSAR site and 

the Fish Habitat Reserve of Pumicestone Passage, please contact 

me. Caloundra City Council is well aware of the special values of 

this last, large, open space area on the Passage but the final 

decisions are not up to them, even though they are an important 

player in the final outcome. 

We’ve started talking again to Caloundra City Council about 

Barung’s move to Armstrong’s farm. An enormous amount of 

expertise and planning must go into this strategic move and it 

would be so helpful if there are members who feel they have the 

skills to assist us. Water quality for the nursery, as we hope to use 

treated effluent if we go to this site, will be one area requiring 

extensive investigation. So if you have expertise in this area in 

particular we would love to hear from you. 

The weather has been good for planting so I hope you have plans 

to purchase more trees to take advantage of the summer rains. 

Remember Barung closes down over the Christmas New Year 

period at lunchtime on Friday 23rd December and will reopen on 

Wednesday 4th January 2006. A native tree can make a wonderful 

Christmas tree and can then be put into the ground. Also trees as 

gifts or gift vouchers can also be purchased from Barung. 

Seasons greetings and best wishes for a safe and happy 2006. 

Opening Hours 

Barung Nursery and Offices 

Monday to Friday Nursery & Offices 8.30 am – 4.00 pm 

Saturday Nursery only 9.00 am – 12.00 pm

SUPPORT FOR LANDCARE 

Caloundra City Council backs Barung 

Caloundra City Council has again demonstrated its appreciation 

of the work Barung undertakes in the Sunshine Coast hinterland 

by supporting the Coordinator and Reveg/Habitat Officer positions 

to the tune of $75 000 during FY 2005-06. 

As Cr Newman said, ‘I believe community and Council can both 

get better environmental results by putting some funds into Barung. 

We will all be monitoring the results and, if successful, looking 

towards provision of recurrent funding for local landcare.’ 

This vote of confidence in landcare’s ability makes both of these 

positions possible. Without this local government support, Barung 

could not afford either of these positions. 

The Coordinator’s role focuses heavily on attracting funds for 

natural resource management to the region, and ensuring the 

efficient and effective use of these funds to achieve maximum 

outcomes. This entails considerable time writing funding 

applications for all levels of government as well as smaller funding 

bodies, and ensures that Barung has the staffing capacity to realise 

our on-ground ambitions, both on Barung sites and on private 

lands. Mim Coulstock fills the Coordinator’s seat. 

The Reveg and Habitat Officer position is invaluable to Barung, 

providing non-project based expertise to coordinate our broad 

range of on-ground projects. This position is currently filled by 

Greg Smyrell, and allows him to use his significant skills to refine 

Barung’s understanding of local ecological systems, undertake 

flora and weed surveys, assist CCC with management of their 

local environment reserves, increase members’ native flora skills, 

and oversee our own revegetation and bush regeneration projects 

among other jobs. 

Thank you to Caloundra City Council for supporting this funding, 

and especially to our local Councillor, Dick Newman, for his 

recognition of Barung’s role in our community. 

MDCU opens new doors for Barung 

Maleny and District Credit Union members’ recent approval of a 

grant for Barung to purchase a laptop and software for 

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) mapping is a real bonus 

for the local environment. This equipment will enable us to 

accurately record all sorts of information about our natural 

resources – locations of rare and threatened flora, significant 

remnant vegetation, weed infestations, landslips, and project sites. 

The equipment will be available for use by other groups including 

the Bellthorpe Progress Association, Lake Baroon Catchment Care 

Group, and Mooloolah Waterwatch and Landcare. 

This mapping information will feed into regional body and local 

government databases for better management of natural resources 

in the future. Caloundra City Council staff have agreed to assist 

with GIS training for Barung and other staff. It is hoped Barung 

will become a ‘hub’ for NRM mapping in the local region. 

RADF flags for Expo 

Through Caloundra City Council’s Regional Arts Development 

Funding, Barung recently received a small grant to run flag-making 

workshops early in 2006. Local artist, Penny Smith, will be 

coordinating several workshops with local school children and 

one with Maleny Arts & Crafts and Barung members. 

Through these workshops, participants will create large fabric flags 

with environmental themes for use during the Maleny Wood Expo, 

both on the Expo site and in Maple Street. The flags will also be 

available for use during other community events post-Expo. 

3 

Expressions of Interest 

for FUNDING ASSISTANCE 

by Mim Coulstock, Barung Coordinator 

Since including an Expressions of Interest form in the August- 

September Barung Newsletter, we have been inundated with 

responses from Barung members who would appreciate funding 

assistance to undertake on-ground projects on their properties – 

but there’s still room for a few more. 

All three regional bodies have different processes for devolving 

funds, but with a database of interested landholders and potential 

projects I can respond quickly when opportunity knocks. 

Mooloolah or Maroochy River catchments: We some funding 

through Natural Resource Management South East Queensland 

(NRMSEQ) for landslip identification and planning, so if your 

property is in the headwaters of the Mooloolah or Maroochy Rivers 

or their tributaries and you have landslips, please put in an EOI. 

Upper Stanley River catchment: I hope to be working on a habitat 

restoration application with South East Queensland Western 

Catchments Group (SEQWCG) in the near future, so if your 

property lies within the Upper Stanley River catchment, make 

sure you submit an EoI. 

Mary River catchment: We are finalising a large devolved grant 

application to the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG), which 

includes most of the Mary River catchment members’ projects. 

There are other funding opportunities outside the regional body 

process and we are keeping an eye on these too. Help me to help 

you – let me know what you want to do to address issues on your 

property – revegetating creekbanks, bush regeneration or remnant 

protection for restoring fauna habitat, arresting landslips, 

addressing serious weed threats, or anything else that is impacting 

on our management of natural resources in the region. 

Drop into either the Barung or Expo office to pick up an EoI form 

or email a request to info@malenywoodexpo.com 

Barung’S 2004-2005 

AGM AWARD WINNERS 

The 2005 Phil Jacobs Farm Forestry Award was presented to 

Phil Wilson and Christopher Deane of Eco Hardwoods. Both Phil 

and Christopher have been involved in the farm forestry industry 

for many years and have contributed to community-driven farm 

forestry groups for well over 10 years. As a team – Eco Hardwoods 

– they are formidable. Eco Hardwoods access timber from farm 

forestry plantations and salvage timber from development sites, 

private landholders and road clearing and turn this timber into 

wood products for the building and furniture trades. Well done – 

you have been instrumental in bringing the sustainable timber 

industry into the public arena. 

The 2005 Land Restoration Award went to the Bellthorpe 

Progress Association for their tremendous community effort in 

restoring native vegetation at Bellthorpe reserve. The group has 

held monthly working bees for the past few years, followed by 

luscious morning teas and talks in the Bellthorpe Hall. They are 

now taking the knowledge they’ve gained back onto their own 

properties where they are undertaking similar habitat restoration 

programs. Our hats go off to you all – it is a pleasure attending 

your working bees and you are a shining example of how much a 

small community can achieve ‘on the ground’.

THE STATE OF THE REGION 

Properties in the Barung area fall within one of three regions that meet in the headwaters of the Blackall Range: Natural Resource Management South 

East Queensland (NRMSEQ), South East Queensland Western Catchments Group (SEQWCG) and the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG). These 

regional bodies direct all natural resource management funding such as National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAPSWQ), Natural 

Heritage Trust 2 (NHT) and National Landcare Program (NLP). It is important to know in which region your property lies. 

Burnett Mary Regional Group 

by Clinton Muller 

Landcare Groups getting’ busy – Like most places, the Burnett 

Mary Region has enjoyed some great spring rainfall, a very 

welcome early Christmas present indeed. But unfortunately for 

the farmer, keen conservationist or active gardener, the favourable 

weather has also provided ideal growing conditions for those pesky 

weeds. Healthy weed populations coupled with some outstanding 

on-ground demonstration activities have kept Landcare groups 

across the district on their toes as we continue to roll out the 

Regional Landcare Partnership arrangements. 

The Regional Landcare Partnership continues to demonstrate an 

ideal model for the engagement of the Landcare Groups in the 

region, particularly as we look forward to the last Regional 

Landcare Meeting for 2005 in Tiaro. These meetings provide an 

ideal opportunity for groups across the region to come together 

and share ideas and activities and identify cross linkages. Funding 

provided to groups this round is targeted towards on-ground works, 

following on from the very successful round involving the 

production of sustainability kits which saw BMRG contributing 

toward Barung’s very popular Blackall Range Landholders Guide. 

A number of groups have formed strong working relationships 

with their local communities and industry and are trialling some 

really exciting practices on the ground. Projects include native 

species for farm forestry, riparian restoration works, saline site 

reclamation, and weed management and organic fertiliser trials. 

New Catchment Officer – BMRG has recently signed off with 

Lake Baroon Catchment Care Group and AquaGen Water and 

Renewable Energy to employ a Catchment Officer for the Lake 

Baroon Catchment. In another article in this newsletter, Murray 

Dunstan, the new Catchment Officer, explains his new duties. 

Event & Professional Development Sponsorship – Any groups 

or individuals seeking BMRG sponsorship for events or 

professional development activities are invited to complete the 

application form posted on the BMRG website 

(www.burnettmarynrm.org.au). All applications should be 

completed in conjunction with the guidelines on the site. 

Applications are assessed on a quarterly basis, so please take this 

into consideration when submitting requests for up-coming events. 

Natural Resource Management SEQ 

by Susie Chapman 

By the time this goes to print, NRMSEQ and SEQWCG will be 

wedded in regional bliss as SEQ Catchments Ltd as of December 

1st . Aah. 

A number of new regional projects have grown wings since we 

last spoke. Here is a taste… 

Reconnecting our fragmented landscape – We are receiving 

funding from NR&M to undertake a needs analysis of peri-urban 

residents in SEQ in relation to natural resource management 

(NRM). This largely relates to the area beyond the urban footprint. 

Local hero Dr Peter Oliver will be joining colleagues Dr James 

Whelan and Dr John Mackenzie to conduct this social survey 

which will include designing and trialling an effective suite of 

incentives. Self-interest has been identified as one of the seven 

key regional forces acting against sustainability in our regional 

4 

NRM plan, and it is self-interest we need to understand if we are 

to seriously address the preservation and improvement of our 

natural assets. 

Mass movement – Of land, not of people in this case. The earth is 

moving dramatically along the eastern slopes of the Blackall Range 

escarpment where the sandstone meets the basalt. Barung is 

working with the Maroochy and Mooloolah catchment groups, 

NR&M, councils and us to raise awareness and understanding, 

and develop a strategic approach to preventing and rectifying the 

situation. John Muir will keep you posted. 

Looking for the smoking gun – Two research studies are 

underway focussing on the impact of septic systems on the 

waterways in the Pine Rivers and north Maroochy catchments – 

looking for the elusive ‘smoking gun’. These complementary 

projects are an excellent collaboration between NR&M, Healthy 

Waterways, University of the Sunshine Coast, Pine Rivers and 

Maroochy councils and ourselves and will be the latest task to 

calibrate the spatial models of the Non-sewered Areas Audit of 

SEQ. 

Renewable energies – Projects addressing renewable energies 

will soon trial a number of approaches on the Sunshine Coast 

through SCEC, USC, Regional Futures Network and the Maroochy 

Catchment Centre. Projects will include the Qld Sustainable 

Schools Initiative (QESSI), Power to Change Trade Expo in 

March, and an Earth’s Choice renewable energies investment 

campaign. 

Citizen Senate II – On December 8th we will host the second 

Citizen Senate at Parliament House to review the year’s progress 

in regional NRM. Leading up to this there will a series of bus 

trips around the region for anyone interested to check out the 

projects first hand. 

Heaps more happening – check out www.nrmseq.com 

Groundwater Monitoring 

The Groundwater Monitoring Project is going well, with about 

20 sites now identified within the upper Obi Obi and Walkers 

Creek catchments. (The project will be focusing on these areas 

before expanding to include the rest of Lake Baroon catchment. 

A similar trial is being done in the Eudlo Creek catchment on the 

coast.) An information manual and monitoring gear are currently 

being put together so monitoring should start soon. 

The Sunshine Coast Groundwater Investigation Group (GIG) is 

coordinating this project, in conjunction with Barung Landcare 

and the Lake Baroon Catchment Group. 

The objective is to monitor groundwater levels and quality in as 

many private bores as possible. Landholders are being asked to 

either monitor water levels in their own bores or, alternatively, 

make their bores available for monitoring. Access to the many 

springs in the area has also been requested, so that these can be 

mapped. 

Response from landholders so far has been excellent, with many 

people keen to keep an eye on their bores. However because some 

bores are difficult to access more bore sites are needed. 

For more information please contact Andrew Todd on 5441 2938 

or 5446 7025 or the Barung Landcare office on 5494 3151.

2006 MALENY WOOD EXPO 

by Mim Coulstock 

Plans are well underway for Expo 2006 – 29th & 30th April, 1st May 2006 at the 

Maleny Showgrounds! We have a new office – freshly painted and rearing to go. 

Funding applications are hitting the mail, Juanita has redesigned our marketing 

strategy, and Heather Spring is pounding the pavements in search of sponsors. 

Jane, our wonderful CJP assistant, has been persuaded to stick around and assist 

with Expo Admin during the peak period from now to May 2006, and the draft 

program is already on Penny Smith’s computer. 

The next thing on the list is to hear from Barung (or community) members who 

have the talents and time to volunteer as Area Coordinators. We need ACs to 

coordinate the following: 

1. Raffle ticket sales before and during the Expo (February until end of Expo) 

2. the EcoTour Program (early January until the Expo) 

3. Expo Volunteers (March until after the Expo) 

4. Taste Maleny Produce Store 

5. Preview Party 

6. Landcare Paddock displays 

7. Maleny Country Café (Barung catering venue) 

8. Landcare Bar & BBQ (Barung catering venue) and 

9. Soapbox Theatre. 

If you would be interested in helping out prior to Expo with any of these areas, 

please give me a ring at the Expo Office on 5499 9514 or email me at 

info@malenywoodexpo.com 

If you would like to take on one of these jobs with a friend, you can both ring me! 

Or if you would like to find out more about what is involved or if you have other 

talents but are not sure where you can fit in – ring me! 

The Expo is a wild and wonderful event and lots of hands do lots of things that 

you would never imagine to make it happen, so there’s sure to be a special place 

for your particular skills. We’d love to have you on board. 

Sustainable Land-use Project 

Thank you Jackie 

Thank you to Jackie Montgomery, who worked on the Sustainable Solutions project 

from its beginning in mid-2004. Jackie’s contributions to the project have been 

widely applauded within Barung, particularly her approach to re-establishing 

relationships with the local dairy farming community. 

Jackie played a major role in organising Landcare Week in 2004, and subsequently 

run a number of workshops that significantly benefited local landholders – 

particularly the Fire and Biodiversity workshops. Jackie, your cheerful smile will 

be missed around Barung, and we wish you the best with your involvement in the 

Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative. 

And welcome Ed 

Ed Surman will be the new face of the Sustainable Land-use Project, which 

continues to be funded by the National Landcare Program through the BMRG. 

The project’s focus early in 2006 will be on implementing two on-ground 

demonstration sites that contribute to sustainable farming. Two sites with severe 

bank slumping in lower Elaman Creek have been selected to demonstrate the 

effect on such slump areas of stock exclusion and planting with appropriate species. 

If funding becomes available, large woody debris will also be placed in-stream to 

help create fish habitat and divert flow from the slumps. 

Many farms in the area suffer extensive bank slumpage due to loss of vegetation 

on creekbanks, especially on outside bends of creeks. Although landowners are 

understandably reluctant to lose paddock area through fencing off creeks, slumpage 

over sufficient years will equate to land lost through fencing. Fencing and replanting 

these ‘at risk’ banks has many other spin-offs for both freshwater and terrestrial 

biodiversity, and contributes to improved water quality in our waterways. 

5 

2006 Wootha Prize 

Application forms are now available for wood 

artists to start thinking about entering a ‘Seat for 

One’ in the 2006 Wootha Prize. 

2006 will be the third year of The Wootha Prize, 

the feature exhibition at the Maleny Wood Expo. 

In keeping with the Maleny Wood Expo’s 

objectives to achieve positive outcomes for our 

environmental future, all Wootha Prize entries 

must be created from sustainably harvested native 

timbers, recycled timbers or weed timbers. 

The competition is open to wood artists nationally. 

The designer of the best ‘Seat for one’ will receive 

$1500, with $750 and $500 for the second and 

third place winners. All prize winners also receive 

quantities of sustainably harvested native timber. 

Artists have until 17th February 2006 to submit 

their applications to the Expo office. For more 

details: 

Website www.malenywoodexpo.com 

Phone 07 5429 6566 

Email admin@malenywoodexpo.com. 

All donations to Barung and the 

Barung Environmental Gift Fund 

are Tax Deductible!

The Changing Balances 

REVEG IN PROGRESS by Greg Smyrell 

A number of years ago a friend told me a parable about a peasant 

farmer in times gone by. I’ve forgotten most of this story but it 

started something like this. 

One day a beautiful wild stallion turned up at the farm and the old 

farmer and his son quickly yarded the animal. Later that day the 

farmer’s neighbour came over and looked at the horse and said to 

the farmer, ‘What good luck you have gaining this magnificent 

beast!’ 

‘Good luck, bad luck, who knows?’ replied the old farmer. 

The next day the farmers son, a healthy young man, decided to 

see if he could ride the new horse. The young man was thrown 

awkwardly and broke his leg. Later that day the farmer’s neighbour 

came over and said, ‘What bad luck, now you have to do the 

harvest by yourself.’ The old farmer replied, ‘Bad luck, good luck, 

who knows?’ 

A week later the king decided to wage war on one of his 

neighbours. The king’s army went through the regions taking all 

the fit and healthy young men to help fight his war. The farmer’s 

neighbour had his two sons taken. Later that day he visited the 

old farmer and saw his son still there with his broken leg and he 

said to the farmer, ‘What good luck you have, not having your 

son risk his life at war.’ 

‘Good luck, bad luck, who knows?’ said the old farmer. 

The story goes on and on, twist after twist, good luck, bad luck, 

bad luck, good luck – who knows? 

After nearly thirty years of bush regeneration I’ve gained a strong 

dislike for foes such as camphor laurels and privets, but recently 

I’ve been told a story and made some observations that made me 

recall that old ‘good luck, bad luck’ parable. 

On a seed walk at Ted McCosker’s at Mapleton, Ted remarked 

that he believes most of our native pigeons would have become 

extinct if it wasn’t for the camphor laurels. My immediate thought 

was, ‘What rubbish!’, thinking of the dozens of native laurels and 

many other fruiting plants our native pigeons eat. 

However I was on the wrong tack! Ted went on to tell about how 

it was when he was younger. Getting to the butcher and affording 

meat wasn’t like it is today. Many families would go down to the 

scrub and shoot a dozen or so pigeons for dinner. The numbers of 

birds were dropping and it was getting harder to get a feed, when 

along came the camphor laurel trees and the pigeons started eating 

their berries. The meat of the birds became strongly tainted and 

wasn’t palatable anymore, so people stopped shooting them and 

the birds were able to build up their numbers again. 

Recently we’ve been working on a number of regeneration projects 

in thick privet areas. Whereas the small-leaved privet Ligustrum 

sinense hardly allows anything to regenerate under it, the largeleaved 

privet Ligustrum lucidum will allow a certain amount of 

indigenous plants to germinate underneath. Selectively poisoning 

large-leaved privet over a number of years and opening up the 

heavy canopy allows the naturally occurring species underneath 

to take off and for some to find their place in the canopy. If this is 

done too fast the weather can get in – too much sun or frost may 

burn these tender, unhardened plants, so the privet works as a 

pioneer or nursery species. 

Very few of our naturally occurring plants have the ability that 

privet has to reclaim pasture/open areas, particularly along our 

major waterways which, through clearing, have become too cold 

for many local species to establish themselves. So without this 

6 

privet, would we be able to regenerate major areas as quickly and 

cost effectively as we can where privet now occurs? 

Lastly on this theme, on our most recent revegetation plantings 

we have had major damage from hares chewing off our plants. 

Most of these plants will recover but may be malformed and miss 

the great growth opportunities of this summer, so they may require 

an extra year or two of costly maintenance. So why the increase 

in hares? Simple: less predators. Why less predators? Major wild 

dog baitings. So good luck, bad luck – who knows. 

On the subject of hares, I was told many years ago to use blood 

and bone or urine because hares dislike the odour of these materials 

and leave the plants alone. I’ve had reasonable success with these 

methods, but was wondering if anyone else has methods for 

protecting their small plants from hares or other pests. 

Green Corps: Keeping 

youth in the environment 

A TRAINEE’S TALE by Jake Smith-Moloney 

Well, we have reached the tail end of the year and everyone seems 

to be going a bit silly from the heat and the looming chaos of 

Christmas. Who would have thought that a time for relaxing and 

catching up with family and friends results in crazy Christmas 

shopping and spending hours in the kitchen preparing Christmas 

lunch? What scares me the most is that while we are occupied 

with festive activities, both garden and environmental weeds are 

growing like crazy, making the job all that much bigger when we 

all head back to work. I am drifting off topic here, oops. 

Back to the topic: the current Green Corps team based out of the 

Maleny Neighbourhood Centre. These environmentally minded 

individuals have been spending most of their time removing 

lantana out at the Genesis site. I have been spending one day a 

fortnight assisting in on-ground revegetation and regeneration 

works and helping with training and education. I have found this 

work very rewarding because I get to spend time with and teach 

people my age who are just as passionate about local 

environmental issues as I am. 

Green Corps is a great way of introducing younger members of 

society to environmental industries, but the viable opportunities 

available to participants after Green Corps are limited. The job 

may be ethically rewarding and enjoyable, but if you can’t afford 

to feed yourself or keep a roof over your head then you will 

probably end up in serious financial trouble and mentally 

distraught. 

Without contracting work to supplement my income I found it 

extremely difficult to cover the costs of living. Many Green Corps 

team members gave up previous employment to get into this 

project; they have an amazing amount of enthusiasm and are keen 

workers and students. It would be a shame if there was no followon 

employment for these eco-passionate, hard-working youth. 

Hope you all have a safe and merry holiday period – but remember 

weeds don’t go on holidays so keep on top of your reveg plot/ 

garden. As always I am contactable (most of the time) at Barung 

during the week. Emails on this or other related topics can be sent 

to Ze_Bacon@hotmail.com 

Found at AGM Treeplant 

Pair of garden gloves and a lady’s cloth hat

Bush Regeneration: 

The strategic approach to rebuilding 

remnant rainforest 

CONTRACTING SERVICES by Jolyon Froude 

Last month the Contracting team completed work on two local 

properties as part of a Rainforest Recovery Project facilitated by 

Barung with the aim of protecting and enhancing several key 

rainforest remnants in the Maleny area. 

The first property we worked on belongs to Maureen and Mitch 

O’Brien. This amazing 100 acre property ranges over a series of 

seven natural terraces cascading down the side of the Range in 

the upper Stanley River catchment. Maureen and Mitch are 

extremely dedicated land owners, working tirelessly over the ten 

years they have owned the property to control large-leaf privet, 

lantana and a range of other weeds. They must have poisoned 

tens of thousands of privets, earning Maureen the nick-name of 

‘the Privet Lady’. 

The property has abundant remnant rainforest confined mostly to 

the gullies and steep slopes between the flatter natural terraces, 

and the decade of weed control has seen massive amounts of native 

plant regeneration spreading out from these areas. As well as 

poisoning privet, other techniques used to achieve this outcome 

have included progressive spraying of lantana and herbaceous 

weeds and strategic cattle grazing. The property is home to several 

rare and threatened species and is one of the most impressive 

large-scale rainforest regeneration projects I have seen. 

The second site we have worked on is the Book Farm in the 

headwaters of the Obi Obi Creek at Reesville. This is owned by 

Richard Dent and Jill Morris who are strongly committed to the 

preservation and enhancement of the key rainforest remnant on 

the property. This is probably the best vegetation remnant on the 

upper Obi, consisting of six acres of undisturbed subtropical 

rainforest along the creek, surrounded by regenerating forest and 

plenty of privet, lantana and other weeds. The value of this small 

remnant is clear when viewing the surrounding area, which has 

been almost completely cleared for dairy farming. 

On both properties our contracting work was focused on the Bush 

Regeneration approach: the strategic control of weeds to facilitate 

the natural regeneration processes of the forest systems. 

This sounds simple enough … The key is being strategic and 

efficient in undertaking the work. There are always more weeds 

than resources to remove them, so it is important to focus on areas 

and techniques that will maximize the positive outcomes. Working 

out from more intact areas into more disturbed areas is one of the 

main strategies. It is also important not to clear too much at once 

thereby increasing light levels too dramatically and creating perfect 

conditions for other weeds. (Continued next column.) 

BARUNG 

CONTRACTING 

SERVICES 

for landholders 

√ reveg, regen & farm forestry 

√ project management - planning, 

site prep, planting, maintenance 

√ weed identification & control 

√ property planning & consultancy 

√ environmental landscaping 

ring Jolyon - 0429 943 156 

or Barung Office - 5494 3151 

7 

Piles of lantana and other weeds cleared from the edge of the 

Book Farm vegetation remnant. (Photograph by Greg Smryell.) 

Plant identification skills are vital ; being able to pick out a dozen 

or two weed species from well over 100 natives at a glance is the 

essence of the process! 

When we think about enhancing and extending remnant vegetation 

we often (sometimes too often) focus on planting trees. However 

at the right site the bush regeneration approach offers a range of 

advantages over tree planting. It is usually much more efficient in 

terms of time and money to remove the weeds and facilitate natural 

regeneration than it is to plant and establish tube stock. The 

regeneration approach also ensures that the right species are used 

(nature doesn’t make mistakes!) and that inappropriate genetic 

material from elsewhere is not being introduced to the site through 

planted stock. 

Remnant rainforest patches are of immeasurable value. They 

provide immense insight into what the landscape was like before 

it was cleared – the nature of the plant communities and how they 

were distributed. Bush regeneration is usually the best way to 

protect and enhance the integrity and long-term sustainability of 

remnant patches. If you are a local landowner interested in 

protecting and enhancing remnant vegetation, Barung Contracting 

can give you advice and practical assistance with all aspects of 

the process. 

Lucky Draw Winners 

For buying a Blackall Range Landholders Guide: 

Congratulations to Phil and Judy Holden from the 

Montville Newsagency, the lucky winners of a $100 

Barung Gift Voucher (drawn at the Barung AGM 15th October). 

Just remember … You’re all lucky winners if you own 

a Blackall Range Landholders Guide! 

Christmas Closing Dates 

The Barung Nursery and Offices will close for the 

end-of-year break at 

Lunchtime on Friday 23rd December 

Staff in nursery and the offices will throw the doors 

wide open again with New Year enthusiasm on 

Wednesday 4th January 2006 

Barung staff wish all members and vollies a 

delightful and safe Christmas and New Year period.

Caper white 

Belenois java teutonia 

BUTTERFLIES OF THE RANGE by Bob Miller 

One of the most common questions I am asked around this time 

of year is, ‘What are those white butterflies that are flying over in 

their thousands?’ 

Well, the answer is, ‘The caper white butterfly, Belenois java 

teutonia.’ 

They are actually one of our ‘migratory’ butterflies and can often 

be seen at this time of year literally in their thousands, all seemingly 

flying in the same direction. These migrations can actually last 

for a couple of weeks at a time. 

Clockwise from left: 

Caper white larva, adult 

from top, and adult from 

side. All photographs by 

Bob Miller. 

I have observed the white eggs (which later turn yellow or orange) 

being laid on the young foliage of the foodplant in the hundreds. 

The larvae that emerge from these eggs are an olive-green to 

chocolate-brown colour, with yellow spots and sparse white hairs. 

They feed in large groups and, if enough are present, will easily 

defoliate the foodplant. 

When ready to pupate they move to the underside of a leaf, if any 

are still present, or if not, to the trunk of the tree or a branch. Here 

they spin a small pad of silk onto which they attach their abdomen 

and a silken girdle to support their thorax. They then split their 

larval skin, slipping it slowly down the body and eventually 

dropping it to the ground, exposing the naked pupae. 

The pupae can be white, pink or even almost black, with brown 

mottling. They have a raised projection on their back and a point 

on their front end. As mentioned earlier, they always hang upside 

down supported by their tail and a central silken girdle. 

The male adult, about 55 mm from wingtip to wingtip, is mainly 

white. The upperside has an outer edge of black with white spots. 

The underside is similar with the addition of darker markings 

following the vein lines. Spots on the hindwings, in a small area 

close to the body, and underneath contain splashes of yellow. 

The females are about the same size as the males and are very 

variable in colouration. The upperside on some can look the same 

as the males’ and others will have the white areas replaced by an 

orange-pink colour with the black areas more extensive. The 

underside is also darker than the males’ and the white areas are 

replaced with yellow, even on the underside of the forewing. 

The main larval foodplant for the Maleny area is Capparis arborea 

(brush caper berry or native caper). I will guarantee that if one is 

planted it will not take long for the butterflies to find it. Barung 

Landcare stocks this plant whenever availability permits. 

8 

Turn weedy vines into 

basket cases 

WEEDS, WEEDS, WEEDS by Lin Fairlie 

One thing the weed vines have in their favour is the showy flowers 

they produce at their own particular time of year (which, of course, 

is why they were brought into Australia in the first place). 

Why, you may ask, do I think showy flowers are a good thing 

when we spend so much of our time trying to remove weeds? 

Well, at least it helps draw our attention to them – at other times 

of the year, we may barely notice them climbing through the trees. 

So what is giving itself away now? 

• Cat’s claw creeper Macfadyena unguis-cati has finished its 

distinctive yellow flush high in the tree tops and along fences 

• Morning glory Ipomoea indica continues its sneaky crawl in 

just so many places – there is even a derelict house in town 

where morning glory is trying to get in through the windows 

• The cream catkin-like flowering heads of Madeira vine 

Anredera cordifolia have finished 

• So of the climbing weeds that leaves moth vine Araujia 

sericifera – its pretty white and pink flowers are just starting 

to tell us where it is established. 

Many fence posts and tall trees are supporting the green, pink and 

white veil at the moment, so this is the time to get in there at its 

roots and pull out the vines. They are easily removed from the 

soil and can just be left to hang over the fence or in the branches 

of trees along the forest edge. 

Please try to remove as many as possible now before the chokolike 

fruit develop and release the thousands of wind-blown seeds. 

I remove as many small moth vine seedlings from my reveg patch 

as any other weed, apart from privet. Moth vines seedlings even 

outnumber Himalayan ash seedlings, of which I have many due 

to the wind-blown production of my neighbour’s specimens. 

Another thing in favour of a number of weedy vines – but not 

enough in favour to justify us leaving them to grow – is that moth 

vine, morning glory and privet can be used to make ‘weed baskets’. 

Thin privet branches can be used for the handle, moth vine for the 

top rim of the basket and also, along with morning glory, for the 

body of the basket. The white sap dries up by the second day so 

pull your vines out the day before you want to use them. 

It is quite therapeutic to pull vines out knowing that something 

can be made from them and that it does not just all go to waste. 

No one has suggested a use for the large seed pods so let’s get as 

many vines out now as we can before the pods form. 

Happy basket making. 

The Blackall Range 

Landholders Guide 

The essential guide to living 

on the Blackall Range 

Available from Barung Landcare 

$15 (plus $3 if posted) 

Also available at 

Rosetta Books, Maple Street Co-Op 

Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve

Working Cross-regionally 

in the Sunshine Coast 

Hinterland 

By John Muir 

Regional NRM Arrangements Coordinator 

The first three months of this new regional NRM position (hosted 

by Barung) has been mostly catching up with the numerous 

stakeholders in the three regions that meet at the Blackall Range 

(NRMSEQ, SEQWCG and BMRG), and facilitating projects for 

the delivery of their Regional NRM Investment Strategies. 

The project area spans from Noosa south around the Blackall 

Ranges via the Sunshine Coast hinterland to Peachester, and the 

upper Brisbane Valley area around Kilcoy. The stakeholder groups 

involved range from Landcare, Catchment Care and Local 

Government to local environmental and industry groups, progress 

associations and landholders. South-east Queensland, with its 

unique fauna and flora, good quality agricultural land and high 

demands on natural resources (water, land and vegetation) has 

the fastest growing population in Australia, and this makes for 

potential conflict and compromises. 

Most of the groups I’ve met with are still in the information 

awareness and understanding phase. Some have progressed to 

the project development and implementation stages. How these 

groups focus themselves and where they fit into the wider strategic 

regional planning processes still needs more understanding. 

There seems to be an opportunity for localised project-focused 

‘community clusters’ forming or working with existing groups eg 

the Narrows Road Group, Crystal Waters, Booroobin, 

Landsborough, Bellthorpe, Peachester, Conondale and Reesville. 

There is also room to increase the capacity and role of some groups 

from solely on-ground project implementation to wider 

educational awareness and capacity building. The role and function 

of different groups is constantly changing and evolving over time. 

Potential projects based on similar themes that have been identified 

by most groups include 

• PMP – Property Management Planning 

• Farm Forestry 

• Native Forest Management 

• Weeds 

• Grazing Management 

• Peri-urban and Rural Residential issues, and 

• Remnant protection and Revegetation. 

Communication and information flow between stakeholders in 

NRM, at all levels, and facilitation of a more strategic approach 

is crucial for the future involvement of such regional initiatives. 

Grass roots ownership and empowerment should underpin all 

community engagement processes. 

Lessons learnt from the previous Decade of Landcare suggest 

that social and human capital can be built from the bottom up, 

with strategic support from wider regional NRM planning 

processes. Now is also the time for implementation and on-ground 

targets and milestones to be met, to improve the natural capital 

assets. 

I am based at Barung Landcare’s ‘other office’ in Coral St (old 

Dairy Factory) and can be contacted on 0429 943 153 or 5499 

9518. 

9 

Implementation Plan 

for Baroon Catchment 

by Murray Dunstan, Lake 

Baroon Catchment Officer 

Lake Baroon Catchment Care Group is 

hosting the new position of Catchment 

Officer for Lake Baroon catchment, in 

conjunction with AquaGen Water and 

Renewable Energy and BMRG (Burnett 

Mary Regional Group). 

As the new Catchment Officer, I will be 

aligning the NRM Plan Country to Coast, 

a healthy sustainable future with the Lake Baroon Catchment 

Management Strategy to develop an Implementation Plan. This 

document will specify strategies for improving water quality in 

Lake Baroon. and provide a framework for protecting and 

enhancing riparian lands in the Lake Baroon catchment. A draft 

document for public comment will be available in December. 

I will then begin sourcing funds and administering on-ground 

works for improving water quality in Lake Baroon catchment, 

including fencing off riparian areas from stock, developing offstream 

watering facilities, installing stock crossings, removing 

weeds and enhancing riparian revegetation. I will also develop 

and present education programs and field days for the public and 

industry. 

I have consulted in and taught water-related environmental topics 

on the Sunshine Coast. I’m interested in projects that maintain 

commercial activities and production while sustaining or 

increasing water quality, and I’m particularly interested in novel 

approaches to water quality improvement. 

My position will complement the services already offered by Lake 

Baroon Catchment Care Group. I can be contacted at the Lake 

Baroon Catchment Care Group office at 19 Coral Street Maleny 

on 5494 3775 or 0438 448 508 or murraydunstan@iinet.net.au 

Splatter that lantana! 

by John Hunter, NSW National Parks & Wildlife 

Glyphosate is registered for splatter gun use on lantana at a 

concentration of 9 parts water to 1 part glyphosate. In our 

experience this method is extremely time efficient and allows us 

to treat areas that are totally impractical to treat using 100:1 

overspray or Quickspray. The method is best for dense, lush lantana 

(full of water and growing). Advantages include: 

• It is not necessary to cart large amounts of fluid around. 

• There is no runoff onto the soil. 

• With care, desirable plants under the lantana can be avoided. 

Modified stock drenching guns (with the drench nozzle removed) 

work well as splatter guns. To get the maximum range, incline the 

gun at a 45 degree angle and squeeze out a continuous stream as 

you smoothly bring the gun to the horizontal position – this gives 

a line of 9:1 across 15 metres or more of thicket. Deliver two 

squirts onto the foliage of each bush, or one squirt every 1-2 metres. 

If you use the splatter gun method for lantana control in your 

area, please let me know how it goes on 02 6650 7111 or at 

john.hunter@environment.nsw.gov.au

Thinning and Pruning 

THE ORNAMENTAL GARDEN by Joan Dillon 

Every garden, presumably even a modern minimalist garden, will 

need thinning, pruning, perhaps re-creating, at some stage in its 

life. Good initial planning will reduce the scale of the task, but 

few plants obey their label guidelines, and some will eventually 

dominate. Large botanic gardens also undergo some level of 

reconstruction as time passes. You are not alone! 

So, time has passed, and decisions have to be made about which 

plants to prune and which to remove altogether. Everyone makes 

mistakes, or more accurately, unforeseen errors, (see label 

guidelines above) but it’s still like losing treasured friends! It’s 

quite common practice to initially overplant to gain quick cover 

but an appropriate alternative would be to plant sacrificial 

groundcovers to fill in the early spaces. Good candidates are the 

various scaevolas, Brachyscome multifida (available in several 

colours), the cheerful bright yellow hibbertias (especially 

Hibbertia vestita), and Helichrysum ramosissima. 

Densely planted gardens which protect the soil, shade out weeds 

etc will need thinning at some stage. Pest and/or disease problems 

may also be a reason for thinning. These can develop in very 

humid conditions when there’s not much air circulation and foliage 

remains moist. Disease, however, is not normally an issue with 

local native plants growing in their own environment as problems 

mostly occur with plants already under stress. 

Too much shade, or sun, poor drainage and sudden changes in 

soil moisture levels, and being well outside the natural climatic 

zone, are common causes of stress and sometimes death. I did try 

a couple of potentially beautiful arid zone emu bushes but a heavy 

clay soil and humid SEQ really wasn’t for them! The birds loved 

them during the one season they flowered but they were stressed, 

the local insects came in droves, and I finally pulled them out. 

Seasonal pest attacks can often be ignored since the plants recover, 

but if a particular specimen demonstrates a tendency towards insect 

infestation and therefore the need for regular control measures, 

remove it. Life is too busy to deliberately create unnecessary work. 

Some leptospermums will be attacked by scale and then attract 

sooty mould if they become shaded out by adjacent shrubs. In 

order to maintain a healthy and therefore attractive garden, either 

the leptospermum goes, or its neighbour. 

Another pest which can cause problems and result in selective 

plant removal is the web-forming caterpillar which stitches 

together very small leaves leading to defoliation. Candidates for 

attack are certain leptospermum and baeckia cultivars. Enjoy them 

for a while and then remove them to create space which will rapidly 

be filled by adjacent, larger leaved and less susceptible shrubs. 

If you want your garden to remain neat and tidy (controlled?), 

then regular pruning will be the order of the day. This should be 

programmed in from Day One to maintain dense foliage and 

promote flowering. Many natives, especially the callistemons, 

respond to tip pruning but sprawlers such as midyim (Austromyrtus 

dulcis) can be hacked back quite severely. Once the root system 

has been established, many melaleucas, particularly Melaleuca 

thymifolia, will come back from a stump. 

Don’t forget that our small-leaved syzygiums and Austromyrtus 

cultivars such as ‘Blushing Beauty’ can be hedged and even used 

for topiary, if you’re into that sort of thing. Lemon myrtles can be 

pruned, and have to be when grown as an orchard crop tree. Native 

mulberry Pipturus argenteus can be pruned hard and will create a 

dense protective cascade of foliage on the edge of your 

revegetation areas. Don’t be afraid to prune but a regular light 

haircut is likely to give the best results. 

10 

The ‘Doing’ at Barung 

THE CORNER DESK by Darryl Ebenezer 

The tree’s branches sway 

The leaves ripple in the wind 

The trunk sits quite still (Anonymous) 

Having become an active and quite literal participant in the ‘tree 

change’ movement I have now begun to notice and learn about 

things within the natural and built environments that I would have 

previously glossed over or just plain missed. I have spent the first 

two months of my new role as Operations Manager within Barung 

integrating a whole new way of thinking and doing into my 

previous experiences and practices. 

A lot of ‘doing’ happens within Barung and the wider community: 

• Potting many hundreds of tubes each week out the back of the 

Nursery and helping to keep the office under control is an 

integral aspect of Barung’s success and satisfying for the people 

involved (Volunteers) 

• Supplying 9500 thousand native tubes to be planted into the 

local environment does make a difference (Barung Nursery) 

• Working five days a week clearing weeds and planting native 

vegetation does change the landscape for the better (Barung 

Contracting) 

• Providing advice and an opportunity for people to grasp a 

vision of what is possible in their backyard is enormously 

valuable (Barung Revegetation and Habitat Officer) 

• Participating in the education and training of Green Corp and 

CJP participants contributes to the life experience and future 

of these individuals and the whole community 

• Planning and implementing an opportunity to display the many 

facets of wood and sustainable living will change people’s 

attitudes and the way the environment is viewed (Barung 

Maleny Wood Expo). 

As you can see, plenty of activity occurs each day and week in the 

life of Barung. 

All healthy organisations need to ensure that both their activities 

(such as I have mentioned above) and their maintenance functions 

are attended to. 

Part of my new role is to attend to these ‘maintenance’ functions. 

Areas such as healthy relationships, good communication 

processes, good governance, sound fiscal management, and a 

shared vision of where the organisation is heading. 

I have enjoyed planting one tree (many thousands more to go), 

visiting a creek for a meeting, and learning about seeds and weeds. 

A great place to work and make a visible difference. In the next 

newsletter some thoughts about good governance and a shared 

vision. 

BARUNG MEMBERSHIP RATES 

Individual / family membership $ 20 pa 

Business membership $ 55 pa 

Business sponsorship $275 pa 

Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. 

When your BUSINESS supports Barung Landcare, you will be 

acknowledged in the bimonthly Barung Landcare News (750 

distribution) and at Barung displays, and you are entitled to three 

free trees and discounts on plant purchases at the Nursery. 

Contact the office at Barung Landcare on 5494 3151 or email 

barungadmin@big.net.au for a Business Sponsor form.

CJP team wrap up 

CJP TEAM NEWS by Ed Surman 

The allotted time for our second wonderful Community Jobs Plan 

Project is rapidly drawing to an end. 

Community Jobs Plan or ‘CJP’ is an initiative of the Queensland 

Government Department of Training and Employment. Our 

projects are delivered through a co-operative arrangement between 

the Hinterland Business Centre and Barung Landcare. As lead 

agency the Hinterland Business Centre does all project administration. 

Barung supplies the on-ground project sites and resources 

to enable these great teams to achieve massive amounts of work. 

As team leader it is wonderful to have introduced seven people to 

each other just 15 weeks ago and to watch them learn and work 

together and see genuine friendships develop. It is easy to supervise 

a team who are prepared to work together, who agree that work is 

fun and meaningful, and that what we do will make a difference. 

And what a difference we can make. Here are some hard cold 

stats of what we have been up to over the last 13 weeks: 

• Removed 7 m3 of weeds from various sites, including 1.5 m3 from the Maleny Entrance Site and the Obi Boardwalk 

• Maintained a minimum of 26 210m2 of Barung’s project sites 

through hand weeding, brushcutting and spraying 

• Conducted structural pruning at the Obi Boardwalk, Pacific 

Plantations and Maleny Entrance sites 

• Cooked for 250 workshop participants during Landcare Week 

• Planted 4220 native plants 

• Assisted Mooloolah Waterwatch, Lake Baroon Catchment 

Care Group, Bellthorpe Progress Association and the Genesis 

Foundation with on-ground work 

• Provided training and assistance to the Genesis Green Corps 

• Collected 2 kg of seeds for the Barung Nursery, and assisted 

with propagating tube stock in the nursery 

• Weeded stock in the nursery and the nursery surrounds 

• Set up the Barung tent for Landcare Week and Barung AGM 

• Raised funds for the IGA Community Treeplant Project, and 

gave out brochures, posters and Landcare information at the 

Barung stand during the IGA celebrations. 

Congratulations and thank you to Phil Hands, Michelle Smith, 

Jason Walters, Michelle Cormac, Deborah Ward, Shanyn Todd 

and Tony Bright of the CJP reveg team for their hard work, 

willingness to learn and friendship. These people are very pleasant 

company, ready and skilled for work, and have an all-round 

understanding of conservation and land management. 

If you require a willing worker, give me a call at Barung Landcare 

– I can recommend the right person for you. 

NEWSFLASH: The whole team has been employed to undertake 

tree planting on a project at Sippy Downs. They start work on 

Wednesday 28th November. Congratulations team! And Jason 

Walters has begun a full time traineeship with Greening Australia 

– go, Jason! 

11 

Experiencing CJP 

by CJP participant Debbie Ward 

My understanding of ‘working together as a team’ and ‘team effort’ 

has expanded during these past 15 weeks, due to the diversity of 

personalities that make up our CJP team. 

Seven people came together with one idea in mind – Love of the 

Land. This love broke down barriers, forgave, overlooked, added 

to, and grew in friendship. 

Under the enthusiastic guidance of our team leader, my knowledge 

grew. With fun and laughter we planted, cleared, sprayed, weeded 

and brush-cut up and down the Obi Obi, down the Stanley River, 

around Echidna Creek and the Mooloolah River. 

These days are drawing to a close and this team member admits 

that she’ll miss the comradeship as she works her own plot of 

soil. On the other hand, a new outlook has risen from the 

knowledge she has gained. 

The Itchy & Scratchy Team 

by CJP participant Tony Bright 

The current CJP team’s focus is agricultural and environmental 

work-related training. This training covers aspects of the nursery 

industry through plant ID, seed collection and propagation. Field 

training includes weed control, reveg, regen and tree planting. 

Workplace Health & Safety is also an important aspect of training. 

This program not only provides the above training but also puts 

individuals into a team situation that has other benefits apart from 

specific training in industry-related topics. These include group 

dynamics, being able to work as a part of an efficient and 

productive team, respect for each other’s strengths and 

weaknesses, and reliance on the group rather than the individuals 

for successful completion of projects. The knowledge and 

expertise that eight people have on varying work-related topics 

creates a melting pot and information database that eventually 

benefits all participants and increases individual productivity. 

The team has been involved in many and varied ‘other activities’. 

During Landcare Week the team set up marquees and interactive 

information and cooked lunch for and generally hosted visitors. 

The team also contributed to the Endangered Species Day 

presentations. CJP helped to prepare the site and set up for 

Barung’s AGM and treeplant at Maleny Showgrounds. CJP 

members attended a stall at IGA’s 100th birthday where the IGA 

Connection Treeplant and the Blackall Range Landholders Guide 

were promoted. The team has also worked with the current Green 

Corps group at their Genesis site. 

During the term of this program the team has had the opportunity 

to visit many sites that normally would not be accessible to the 

general public. Some of these forest and riparian worksites are 

stunningly beautiful and provide further incentive to continue the 

work to enhance and protect these unique and threatened systems. 

It also makes the discomfort of scrub itch mites, ticks and bites as 

well as other scary things a little easier to tolerate. 

In conclusion participation in this valuable CJP project has had a 

positive benefit for all team members and given them the 

opportunity to contribute some practical and beneficial returns 

for both the local community and the environment. The team would 

like to thank Barung, The Hinterland Business Centre, Naomi 

Miller from DEET, and the Queensland State 

Government for their various contributions to 

the success of the program.

It’s seed collecting time 

NURSERY NOTES By Wayne Webb 

Many of our rainforest species are seeding prolifically this year, 

no doubt in anticipation of the good season. We have been busy 

collecting as time permits, as well as receiving donations from 

members. 

Thank you to all those who have brought in seed. I tend to take 

my predecessors’ view of not thanking particular donors by name 

in the newsletter for fear of offending those I forget. I feel, however 

that a special ‘thank you’ must go to Trevor Carbury. Trevor has a 

grazing property at Elaman Creek with significant areas of remnant 

rainforest vegetation from which he regularly brings in good 

quantities of seeds. Recently he has brought in bags of foambark 

(Jagera pseudorhus). Jagera is very attractive tree which performs 

well on tougher sites, but unfortunately the seed capsules are 

covered in very irritant hairs, making seed collecting and cleaning 

a rather unpleasant task. 

We have also received good quantities of seed from Diana 

O’Connor of Flaxton (Synoum glandulosum and Mischarytera 

lautereriana), and from Jill Morris and Richard Dent from the 

Book Farm at Reesville (Castanospora alphandii and Syzygium 

hodgkinsoniae). 

Greg’s fortnightly seed collecting walks have also been yielding 

greater amounts and variety of seed. Our propagation shed is now 

bulging at the seams, but while the seed is there we have to collect 

and sow it. Seed of many rainforest species cannot stored, and 

may not be available next year. 

Seed to look out for in the coming months include Guioa 

semiglauca and Mallotus philippensis (red kamala). Both are 

important species for revegetation, but have been in very short 

supply in the nursery. Guioa seed tends to be taken by birds as 

soon as the capsules open, but if bunches are picked and brought 

in when some (say 10%) of the capsules are open, they should 

continue to open over the next week or so. We can go over the 

bunches each day and process any seeds ready. With Mallotus 

seed you also need to wait until some of the capsules are opening 

before harvesting. Unfortunately many red kamala trees produce 

seeds without embryos. It is therefore worthwhile cutting a sample 

of seeds from a tree before collecting. The seeds are small (approx 

2 mm diameter), round and black. When cut through they should 

be filled with a white embryo. Good seeds will also sink if placed 

in water. Anybody wishing to collect seed can contact us at the 

nursery for more details. 

With all the seed about this year we have lots of exciting species 

coming available in the nursery. And with all the storms about, 

what better time to plant? How about giving your friends and 

family a Barung Gift Voucher this Christmas and they can help 

reinstate some of our beautiful Blackall Range rainforest. 

Barung has obtained a small equipment grant from the Caloundra 

City Council to have two additional potting/seed-cleaning tables 

and a weeding bench manufactured. These will make life easier 

in the nursery because we will be able to leave seeds spread out 

awaiting processing and still have room for our vollies to pot up 

tubestock. A big thanks to the Council. 

Cali and I recently spent a day travelling around Maleny with 

Greg Smyrell and Jon Burgess, a soil scientist with DNR&M, 

looking at our local Blackall Range soils, their derivation, 

characteristics and related vegetation. Many of our local plants 

have a definite preference for particular soils and this needs to be 

taken into account when selecting species for both reveg plantings 

and gardens. 

12 

Decaspermum humile 

(syn. D. parvifolium, D. paniculatum) 

SILKY MYRTLE Family: Myrtaceae 

PLANT PROFILE by Wayne Webb 

Silky myrtle is a beautiful shrub which is very suitable for mixed 

screen plantings because it remains bushy to the ground. As a 

garden plant silky myrtle will grow as a shrub to around 4 m. In 

remanent vegetation it is often seen as a 3-4 m shrub up to a small 

tree of 8 m. Alex Floyd, however, reports in his book Rainforest 

Trees that it may grow to a tree of 25 m in height and a stem 

diameter of 45 cm. (I don’t think there is much risk of it growing 

this big in your back garden.) 

When in flower, silky myrtle is covered in fluffy white (or pale 

mauve) perfumed blossom. Each flower is approximately 7 mm 

across. Flowering time is generally reported to be autumn, although 

the specimen at Barung has just had a heavy flowering in October. 

This is probably due to climatic variations. Flowers are followed 

by small black globular berries, 3-6 mm in diameter. Each berry 

contains around ten seeds, hence the name deca (ten) - sperma 

(seed). Fruit are edible and would attract small fruit-eating birds 

to your garden, particularly if they have the protection of dense 

neighbouring vegetation. 

Leaves are simple, opposite, ovate-lanceolate and 2-5cm long by 

1-2cm wide. They taper to a long fine tip. Young shoots are covered 

in fine silky hairs. Leaves of flowering branchlets are much smaller 

than leaves of non-flowering branchlets. 

Decaspermum humile occurs mainly in drier rainforests from near 

Gosford in NSW to northeastern Queensland, and northwards 

through South East Asia to India. It generally occurs on shallow 

stony soils of volcanic origin. Locally it occurs in the drier areas 

around the edge of the range (eg Reesville) and down off the 

range in places such as Elaman Creek. 

Silky myrtle is easily propagated by seed, which should be cleaned 

from the fruit before sowing. This is easily achieved by gently 

mashing up the berries in water and floating off the flesh, leaving 

the seeds in the bottom of the container. The seeds are then sown 

over a propagation mix and lightly covered. Decasperma may 

also be propagated by tip cuttings. 

NURSERY SPECIALS – 

Silky myrtle will be on special in Barung’s nursery during 

December and January at $1.75 each in native tubes. 

Also discounted are Bracteantha bracteata, the yellow 

everlasting daisy, at $1.50 each, or 5 for $5 (while stocks 

last).

Rainforest Recovery and 

Coxen’s Fig-Parrot 

by Ian Gynther, Qld Parks & Wildlife Service 

Using a relatively small amount of funding provided to the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the 

Commonwealth’s NHT2 program, the Coxen’s Fig-Parrot 

Recovery Team and the South-east Queensland Rainforest 

Recovery Team have pooled their available resources to get ‘a 

bigger bang for their buck’ in undertaking some habitat restoration 

work on the Blackall Range near Maleny. 

The combined, short-term project is benefiting from the skills 

and experience of Barung Landcare Assoc. in implementing the 

on-ground actions. From September to December this year the 

focus has been on six sites where rehabilitation or revegetation 

efforts are considered important for improving the integrity of 

the local rainforest remnants, enhancing the value of these 

remnants as movement corridors for wildlife or increasing the 

habitat potential for Coxen’s fig-parrots, an endangered bird 

species that has been sighted in the vicinity of the target areas. 

Work underway at each of the sites consists of one or more of the 

following activities: weeding, fencing, revegetation and 

maintenance of previously established plantings. 

• Cat’s claw creeper is the insidious threat at the Caloundra City 

Council reserve adjacent to ‘High Tor’ and the current project 

is extending the Council’s eradication program there. 

• Weed control and maintenance work is being conducted at 

‘Cloverdale’ on Aplin Road and on Gap Road, Bellthorpe. 

• Lantana removal and fencing to exclude cattle will encourage 

natural regeneration of rainforest on the escarpment edge 

property ‘Windsong’ on the Maleny-Stanley River Road. 

• Similar activities, together with a small revegetation program, 

at the Book Farm in Reesville will enhance the quality of the 

existing rainforest remnant and expand its future area. 

• This is also the aim for Caloundra City Council land at Nadi 

Lane, North Maleny, where the habitat improvement work is 

just a first step in restoring the rainforest corridor that once 

existed along this section of the Obi Obi. 

The EPA and Barung Landcare are grateful to be receiving support 

and financial contributions from Caloundra City Council, the Lake 

Baroon Catchment Care Group, Barung’s Community Jobs Plan 

and the Genesis Green Corps teams, and various landholders. 

Together we are making a small but nevertheless important 

difference to the integrity of the Blackall Range’s rainforest 

ecosystems and the continued existence of Coxen’s fig-parrot. 

The Glossy Black Cockatoo 

Conservancy needs your help: 

• Protect she-oaks and hollow-bearing trees on your property 

• Get involved in organised searches 

• Report all sightings. 

Source: BAAM Pty Ltd 

If you have seen a glossy black-cockatoo or 

found evidence of their feeding (ie cone 

chewings) or would like to get involved in 

planning their future, contact Lisa Bailey at 

IndigiScapes (Redland Shire Council) on 

(07) 3824 8611 or lisab@redland.qld.gov.au 

13 

Opportunities & Events 

Ag Chemicals Course 

If you use chemicals on your property, council lands, or other 

private properties, you need to have ACDC certification. 

An ACDC Certification course is being organised for late January/ 

early February 2006. It’s a one day plus two nights course. Cost 

will depend on number of participants, so the more we have, the 

cheaper it will be for all of us. 

Please contact Cali at Barung to register an expression of interest. 

Exact dates will be announced as soon as we have the numbers. 

Chainsaw Courses 

Levels 1 (two days) and 2 (one day) in January 2006. Dates to be 

announced once we have the numbers to run them. No need to 

have your own chainsaw. Contact Barung to express your interest. 

TREEPLANTERS ALWAYS NEEDED 

If you: 

• just love planting trees, 

• are happy to work with a wide range of folk, 

• feel good getting out there and helping with Barung’s projects, 

• have time to spare, 

send us an email or give us a call and we will put your name on a 

‘treeplanters’ contact list’ of people who are keen to come out at 

short notice and assist on some of our project sites. Email Barung 

on barungadmin@big.net.au or phone 5494 3151 with your contact 

details and we’ll add you to the list. Email contacts are great 

because we can just send out a group email which saves us a lot 

of time and money on phone calls. 

The fascinating world of Fungi 

by Lin Fairlie 

Have you seen the amazing macrofungi that suddenly appear in 

rainforests and eucalypt forests after rain? 

Fungi play an essential role in recycling nutrients and in the health 

of forests but surprisingly little is known about Australian species. 

But we are in a prime position to add to the basic knowledge of 

fungi in this area. 

In early 2006 Barung hopes to organise a workshop with experts 

from the Queensland Herbarium so that landowners can collect, 

correctly handle and identify fungi specimens, supplying the 

Herbarium with correctly prepared specimens if necessary for 

correct identification. 

In the meantime, the FUNGIMAP project (based at the Melbourne 

Botanical Gardens) is mapping the extent of 100 relatively 

common species in Australia. The FUNGIMAP website is 

www.rbg.vic.gov.au/fungimap. FUNGIMAP members receive 

identification notes and regular newsletters. Reasonably priced 

detailed books can also available. 

Fungi make fascinating photographic subjects. If you are aware 

that interesting fungi can suddenly appear in your forest, take your 

camera with you whenever you go out. Photograph fungi from on 

top, the side and underneath if possible. Record the date and the 

exact location (GPS if possible) and start your collection of 

photographs, if not specimens. 

With a little more knowledge, I am sure Barung members can 

become a source of scientific information for the ‘wonderful world 

of the fungi’.

Volunteer of the Year 

Award 

by Val Phillips 

Well, what a huge surprise to be awarded Barung’s Volunteer 

of the Year award. 

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be in line for 

such an honour. 

I think of Barung as an extended family of mine. Nothing is 

ever too much trouble if you need help. You are greatly 

appreciated here and shown it in so many ways, so when I 

buck in and help it gives me so much pleasure. 

Barung is very infectious when you work here – it is very 

hard to get Barung and the people out of your system. Just 

ask people who have been there and done that. 

Thank You to … 

… Jill and Graham Collard (Fuschia’s parents) for the kind 

donation of microwave after the other one ran out of steam! 

… Max Smith, Patrick Cavanaugh, Jane Williamson, Alan 

Beard, Col & Val Phillips for the October - November Barung 

News mailout 

… Everyone who planted trees at the Barung AGM 

… Ashton Berry for hosting, and Heather Spring for 

coordinating, the AGM lunch 

… Everyone who has donated to the IGA Connection Treeplant. 

Big Thanks to Joe of Montville Mist 

… who keep us from dehydrating in this warm weather and even 

spoiling us with a water cooling system! Your ongoing support 

and generosity is Extremely Appreciated. 

from the Barung Nursery, CTP team, and all staff and volunteers 

Special Thanks to 

Admin Vollies 

The charming Dawn and Pam team on 

Mondays now keep the front office a 

lot more organised and also add their 

lovely smiles and professionalism to 

our happy office. Many thanks, 

Ladies! 

And the amazing Dianne, who has only been here a very short 

while, has been a brilliant assistant to Val and Barry. Not only has 

she helped re-organise our Library but is also recording some 

much needed procedures. Thanks so much for joining our team. 

And as always our office wouldn’t function without the ongoing 

and steadfast support of Barry and Val. Words are not enough! 

We hold you both in high regard around here. Thank you so much. 

from Fuschia in Admin 

More hands in the Library 

At long last I have had some help in putting the final touches to 

our library. Dianne Roper has been doing a marvellous job sorting 

duplications, adding new books, and refiling books that have been 

replaced in the wrong spot. After all the many, many hours of 

hard work, we hope the library will be put to good use. 

from Val Phillips 

14 

Letters 

Mayor appreciates Barung’s Guide 

Dear Katrina, 

Thank you for forwarding a copy of the Blackall Range 

Landholders Guide, 2nd Edition. I found the Guide to be a very 

interesting read and I have requested that copies be made available 

in Council libraries for the information of our residents. 

The current edition of Bush Hands (Greening Maroochy’s 

publication) has also included an article on the Guide and this 

can be viewed at www.maroochy.qld.gov.au (select Our 

Environment and then Bushhands Newsletter). 

Thank you again for letting me know of the Guide’s availability. 

Yours sincerely, 

Cr Joe Natoli, Mayor, Maroochy Shire Council 

Thank you Ed and the CJP Team 

Dear Ed Surman 

What can I say? 

On behalf of the creek I say ‘thank you’. 

Yes, another 20 metres of mistflower, lantana etc has been 

removed, and the creek is beginning to laugh and gurgle in a 

healthy way. 

To Ed and his team: congratulations on a splendid job. 

Ed’s leadership, knowledge and guidance deserves a 10/10. 

Regards, 

Desley Schenberger 

Thank you Contracting Services 

Thank you to Jolyon for an excellent clearing of lantana etc. 

A little rain will see many new natives appearing on the slopes. 

Also thanks to Jake and Chris. 

See you soon. 

Regards, 

Desley & Seb, Anita Craig and Layla 

Christmas Gift Ideas 

at Barung Landcare 

GIFT VOUCHERS 

for plants from the Nursery or books from the Bookshop 

ADOPT-A RAINFOREST-TREE 

to have a native rainforest tree planted near the Obi 

Obi Creek dedicated in your friend’s name 

Give a little joy while you support Barung Landcare 

and the future of the Blackall Range and environs. 

DEADLINE – Wed 18 

Please renew your membership - 

your support is very important to Barung. 

th January 

for February–March 2006 

Newsletter contributions 

THANK YOU

Maleny Amcal Pharmacy 

for all your health & beauty needs for life 

* Prescriptions * Golden Casket Agent 

* Vitamin & Skincare Specialists * Naturopath available 

* Photo developing & printing * Day spa beauty treatments 

* Delivery service available (Conditions apply) 

OPEN 7 DAYS 

Mon-Fri 8.30 am to 6.00 pm 

Sat 8.30 am to 4.00 pm 

Sun 9.00 am to 12.00 noon 

Ph: 5494 2332 Fax: 5494 3059 

Rob and Samantha Outridge 

* FRUIT & VEGETABLES * DELICATESSEN * MEAT * 

26 Maple Street, Maleny 

Phone: (07) 5494 2257 Fax: (07) 5494 2767 

Montville Mist 

Still Spring Water 

Joseph McGladrigan 

Ph: 07 5442 9411 Mobile: 0408 522 585 

DOMESTIC 

COMMERCIAL 

FORMWORK 

Email: montvillemist@hotmail.com 

Ph/Fax: 5494 2109 

Bottled at the Source 

. CONCRETING . 

Phillip Vickers 

Q.B.S.A. Lic. No. 059 931 

STAMPED 

EXPOSED 

PLAIN 

Mobile: 0418 882 785 

15 

Spreading the Seed ... 

… continued from page 16 

your seed around, but you can only disperse downhill or 

downstream or under your parent tree, and who wants to grow up 

in the shadow of the ‘oldies’! 

That’s where we can help. We can either decide it’s too much 

effort to ensure the survival of the many wonderful species that 

make up the ecosystems of our area and allow threads to disappear 

from the magnificent tapestry of life that our local rainforests 

represent, or we can make up for our past indiscretions by 

spreading our local plants across the landscape again. I realise 

that many of you who are reading this are busily planting and 

regenerating local natives – but we need to do so much more. 

However, let’s get back to the example of the white apple 

Endiandra virens. 

Standard Natural Regeneration practice says no plants should be 

introduced by planting. According to standard Natural 

Regeneration theory, regenerators should theoretically limit 

themselves to the preservation of existing remnants through weed 

control and the stimulation of natural soil seed banks – thus 

ensuring survival of local genetics. In the case of plants with large 

seeds, however, we are now crucial in dispersing their seed across 

a landscape from which they have been cleared. Our ‘intervention’ 

in this case will ensure their ability to be part of the future forests, 

and contribute to the potential for diversity in future ecosystems. 

Just in case you thought that all large-seeded trees require our 

assistance to spread, let’s also look at black bean Castanospermum 

australe. You may think that a rat is a rat is a rat, but our native 

bush rat Rattus fuscipes plays a role in our native ecosystems 

quite unlike that of the introduced ship rat Rattus rattus. 

Researchers from Griffith University (per. com. J. Kanowski) have 

found that if R. fuscipes disappears from rainforest to be replaced 

by R. rattus, the number of black bean seedlings actually increases. 

This is because R. fuscipes eats black bean seed and R. rattus is 

obviously yet to develop a taste for or, for that matter, a stomach 

that can cope with these toxic seeds. 

Next time you plant a rainforest tree, think not just about this one 

tree you are planting, but also about the ecosystem it will add to, 

about how the lineage of this plant has evolved over millions of 

years, and about the role you and this plant are playing in the 

survival of its own kind and the ecosystems it and we are part of 

– into the future. 

BUSINESS CONTRIBUTORS 

Mark Fentiman Dental Surgery Mulchmakers 

Lilyponds Holiday Park Maleny Motor Trimmers 

Taman Sari James & Suzanne Davidson

Spreading the Seed 

TURKEY TANGENTIAL by Spencer Shaw 

When it comes to trying to grasp the wonders of nature, humans 

are unfortunate enough to be blessed with an attention span not 

much greater than that of a small intellectually challenged skink 

called Fred, whom other skinks call rather rude names. 

We are limited to the view of what is directly in front of us. We 

are designed to live right here and right now, chasing the next 

mammoth or foraging for the next berry bush. 

However this is not the way ecosystems work. They are so much 

more than what is here and now – they are the present, past and 

future all rolled into one. The ecosystems that we behold with our 

attention-deficient eyes are a reflection of all that was before them 

and also are crucial to what will come after. They are not just the 

plants, fungi and animals that our eyes can see but also the 

processes by which those plants and animals reproduce themselves 

and thus shape the future. 

Ecosystems are magical things. Not in the ‘Harry Potter’ sense of 

the word but in the fact that we still know, very, very, very, very, 

very, very ,very little about them. 

BARUNG VOLUNTARY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 

President Lin Fairlie 

Vice President Bob Hall 

Secretary (vacant) 

Treasurer Michael Howard 

Committee Members Eric Anderson 

Pat Fuller 

Heather Spring 

Clayton Stokoe 

John Wightman 

BARUNG’S MALENY WOOD EXPO STAFF 

Coordinator Mim Coulstock 

Marketing Juanita Anderson 

Graphics Penny Smith 

If undeliverable please return to: 

Barung Landcare 

17 Bicentenary Lane 

Maleny QLD 4552 

Print Post Approved 

PP 440524/00004 

ph 07 5494 3151 

fax 07 5494 3141 

barung@sun.big.net.au 

barungreveg@big.net.au 

barungadmin@big.net.au 

barungnursery@big.net.au 

barungcontract@big.net.au 

info@malenywoodexpo.com 

www.barunglandcare.com.au 

www.malenywoodexpo.com 

The Barung Family 

What’s this all got to do with the spreading of seed, I hear you 

say? Well to prove my point I thought I’d quickly demonstrate 

the ease with which the human brain can get off the track … or 

maybe that’s just me. 

The forest remnants that are fortunate enough to have survived 

on the Blackall Range are a testament to the plants, fungi and 

animals that comprise them and their ability to survive and 

reproduce. However the reproductive ability of some or even many 

of the species that make up these ecosystems has been 

compromised. Will they all be part of the future ecosystems, yet 

to be? 

For many plants and animals, the answer may well be ‘no’. 

For example when large-seeded plants such as the white apple 

Endiandra virens disappear from an area, how can they move 

back into that area? Their fruit can be up to 80 mm across with 

seeds approximately 40 mm in diameter. How do you suppose a 

seed this size can move throughout the landscape? Even though 

many large-seeded plants exist in good numbers in the remnant 

forests of our area at present, their ability to disperse themselves 

throughout the landscape has been seriously compromised by 

habitat fragmentation. Water and gravity are great ways of moving 

… continued on page 15 

BARUNG STAFF 

Coordinator Mim Coulstock 

Operations Manager Darryl Ebenezer 

Nursery Manager Wayne Webb 

Assistant Nursery Manager Cali Salzmann 

Contracting Services Coordinator Jolyon Froude 

Reveg & Habitat Officer Greg Smyrell 

Sustainable Land-use Officer Ed Surman 

Regional Arrangements Coordinator John Muir 

Nursery Trainee Jake Smith-Moloney 

Administration Officer Fuschia Collard 

The CODLine Editor Eve Witney 

Barung Newsletter Editor Eve Witney 

And our many Volunteers, Labour Team Partipants, and Members 

SURFACE 

MAIL 

Printed by GLASSHOUSE COUNTRY PRINTING, Turner St Beerwah - ph 5494 6011 

POSTAGE 

PAID 

AUSTRALIA

'Doing' at Barung - Barung Landcare

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